Automobile-signal.



J. A. ROSS.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL.

` APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 1o, 1914.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

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HIM/9 ATTORNEYS J. A. ROSS.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL.

1 1 1 1 ,6 1 APPLICATION FILED JA'N. 10, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED srnfriis PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. ROSS, 0F NEW.YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB. F ONE-THIRD T0 FREDERIC BONS,

y OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMOBILE-sientan Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

Application filed January 10, 1914. Serial N o. 811,394.

T0 all 'who/fatt may concern: l

Be it known that I, JOHN A. Ross, a c1t1- zen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the c`ounty and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Automobile-Signal, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates'to automobile appliances, and has particular reference to signaling devices for use especially on the rear ends of automobiles. l

Among the objects of this invention 1s to provide a'device of the character indicated under the control of 'the chauffeur or other occupant of the vehicle but indicating to.

persons back of the automobile the intended movements of the automobile.

A further object of the invention is to pro' ,to provide a casing of the nature set forth which c'arries within it lighting devices serving at night as a rear end or tail lamp and acting also to lighten the face of the signal mechanism above referred to.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will hereinafter be more fully set forth and claimed and illustrated in the drawings forming a part of this specification in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding yparts in all the views, and in whichr Figure 1 -is a perspective View of the outside of a signal casing, the parts being` .in position indicated in Figs. 4t and'; Fig. 2 is a, vertical section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 4, but indicating the electromagnets in normal position;.Fig. 3 is a diagram indicating the electromagnets, batteries and wiring; Fig. 4 a vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5; Aand Fig. 5 is a vertical secgeneral design of the mechanism, may be varied to a considerable extent Without de- Aof this invention, it ma parting from the spirit of the invention herelnafter more fully set forth and 'speciically claimed.

The casing 10 comprises a base 11 adapted to be secured preferably in a vertical postion at the rear end of an automobile or other vehicle, and the casing also includes a closure or cap 12 adapted to bedetachably secured to the base and carrying a transparency 13 in its vertical face.

l/Vithout unnecessarily limiting the scope be described as comprismg a pluralityo rotary panels 14, lo, 1G, 17 and 18, all of said panels being yplvoted on horizontal axes in close parallel vertical planes. The .panel 14 is pivoted at 14 along its center. Said panel is shown as being plain or unlettered on its normally outside face and provided with the -word Stop in large letters on its normally inner face. The panels 15 and 1G a'repivotedl along their normally lower'edges at 15 and 16 respectively. Likewise the panels 17 and 18 are pivoted along their upper edges at 17 and 18 respectively. Each pair of theA last'mentioned panels carry the word Turn together with an arrow indicating they direction -in which kthe turn is to be made, and the members of leach pair are intended to rotate simultaneously in the same direction sogas toswing through an 'angle of 180 degrees and for' one of such members to substantially take the place ofA the other. y The relation of the members of eachv pair of panels to each other and lto vtheir pivots is such that said members occupy substantially the same plane in either their normaler shifted position, The relation, furthermore, of the pivots' 16 and 17 to thelcentral panel 14 is such that the panels "1'5 and 17 are normally out of the -Way "fr'fiee movement of the panel 14 around -`its pivot, said panel 14 occupying` the p'rin'cipalspace, therefore, or view througlrthe transparency 13.

Any suitable means may be provided to 'control the movements of the several panels. As a preferred means for .accoms plish/ing this purpose in a simple' and satisfactory manner, I provide three electromagnets 14, l5 and 17 a, each of said electromagnets having an armaturecarrying a rack, the several racks being indicated by the characters 14h, 15b and 17.b respectively. The magnet 14:a relates to the central panel 14,

the axis 14 of which has securedv to it a pinion 14 meshing with the rack let". The armature is held normally in upright position by means of a spring 14d when the magnet not ei'iergized, and the action Aof the rackthrough the pinion 11"' is such under certain conditions as to hold the panel 1A; with its unlettered face adjacent the transparency' or window 13. Vhen, however', the magnet 1li is energized, ther pinion 11C will be given one half a rotation, causing the panel v14v to display the Word Stop through the window. T he magnet 15a With its rack acts upon tivo pinions 15c and 16c secured respectively to the axesl 15 and 16 Whereby a. movement ot' the rack in either direction, either under the torce ot' the magnet or the counteracting spring 1o, causes simultaneous rotation et' the panels 15 and 1G. Figs. 1 and 5 show the 4panels 15 and 16 turned to display the legend Turn with an arrow leading toward the left. The magnet 17a acts through its rack 17b to turn a pair of pinions 1Tu and 18C acting in turn upon the panels 17 and 18 in the manner above described. The force of the magnet acts against a spring 17d serving to restore the rack and panels to normal position, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. rlhese panels when ro tated and turned upwardly under the force et" the magnet 17% acting downwardly upon the pinions 17c and 18c move in the direction indicated by the arrows on Fig. 5, and pre sent the legend Turn with an arrow ieading toward the right.

At 19 l show a. battery in circuit With the electremagnets above described and at 14e,

15e and 1781 show push buttons serving to 'eompletethe circuit from said battery 19 through 'the respective electromagnets for the purposes above set forth. Said push buttons may be located on the dashboard 20 or at any other convenient place Within reach oit the occupant of the vehicle having charge thereof.

A1321 I show one or more lamps in circuit vith an auxiliary battery 2:2 which may be used to supplement the. force of the primary battery 19 for night service. rl`he lamp cir- :cuit is connected at 23 with the electro- 'magnet circuit above described. A switch normally open during the daytime is so arranged as to bring the auxiliary circuit into action in the night to light the lamps which are located preferably in the casing above the Window 13, serving the usual purposes of a tail lamp', lighting up the face ei the active panels. The Wiring indicated in Fig. 3 shows that the lamp or lamps Will always be burning when the switch 24 is closed irrespective of the manipulation et the pushtbuttons.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. ln a signal mechanism of the character eet lortli, 'the combination of' a casing adapted to be secured to the rear end of an automobile, a window in the face'of said casing, a series of panels journaled-on parallel axes withimthe `casing and adjacent the window, s id panels having plane faces arranged normally in vievtl through said window, a series et electromagnets serving to selectively rotate said panels through 180 degrees, certain of said panels being ar 'anged in pairs, the panels of each pairoc- I cupying the same vertical plane and rotatable simultaneously in the same direction, one of saidk panels of the pair taking the place oi' the other and still lying in the same plane, a display legend on said panels, a part of the legend being on one panel and the other part being on theother panel," and means to restore said panels to normal position after the magnets are denergized.

E2. ln a signal mechanism oi' the kind set forth, the combination oi a casing, a panel. journaled on a central laxis intermediate said casing, pairs et panels journaled on axes parallel te theaxis of the first-mentioned panel, the pairs of panels being journaled on aXes adjacent their edges, the members et cach pair being so arranged that "when they swing on their artes in the same direction, one o1' them will take' the place oi the other and both will display a single legend, one haii of which is carried by one panel and the other halt by the other panel, a series of electromagnets associated with the several panel?. means to selectively ener gize said magnctsi'to actuate certain of said panels, and means to restore the panels to normal position after the magnets are denergized.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tu'o subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN A. ROSS. lVitnesses:

GEO. L. Barmen, PHILIP D. RoLLi-IAUS. 

